The Detroit Newspapers's view

The Fiat 500 is not just any other car.

It’s like a piece of fine artwork that needs some understanding before you can truly appreciate it.

But the first offering from the Italian carmaker in nearly 30 years still has the workings of a masterpiece. More are certain to follow.

The 2012 Fiat 500 is downright fun to drive. It has a low starting price and it’s cuter than most newborn babies. People smile at this car, even though they are not sure what exactly they’re smiling at.

It looks all Euro and modern and, wait, it matches my Tommy Hilfiger button-down. Yes, the 2012 Fiat could become a fashion icon. And in the coming months, they’re going to start buzzing around cities and countrysides, becoming the most functional piece of art to hit our highways since a VW Thing tried to ford a river and floated away.

First, let me get this out of the way. Yes, the 500 is small. Its overall length is 139.6 inches, which is shorter than the wheelbase of some pickup trucks. But it’s pure car, and there’s nothing econo-box about it. It doesn’t even have a corner anywhere on it.

The Fiat 500 comes in 14 amazing colors that will have you speaking Italian in no time. Bianco, Verde Chiaro and red.

It’s not just the bright palette of colors that makes the Fiat 500 seem fun. It actually looks fun. Its face smiles back at passersby. Its rounded edges, clamshell hood and big greenhouse are inviting, and well, nice. It’s difficult to imagine anyone experiencing road rage at this car cutting in front of them.

But don’t let that size lull you into thinking it’s not a car. It’s got the pedigree of Maserati and Ferrari, two other brands Fiat owns, and it’s got the power of a Torro — snowblower.

OK, so it wheezes a little on big hills. So do I. But the tiny 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine still manages to produce 101 horsepower and 98 pound-feet of torque. Some of that power comes from the Multi Air addition to the intake valves. These are little electric servos that regulate the incoming air in an ingenious way to boost power and efficiency and let this four-banger do more.

This car will hit 80 mph easy enough on the highway and hold 60 mph through corners in third gear; remember that when driving this thing on curvy roads, third gear is your friend. Fifth gear in the manual transmission is abysmal when it comes to trying to gain speed, but it’s great for giving you that overdrive.

And really America, this car was meant to be driven as a manual. That’s the thing about small displacement engines. Technology may have advanced to provide these engines with automatic transmissions, but they run best at higher revs. Push the tach to 4,000 rpm and the Fiat 500 becomes an absolute hoot. The steering is exact and the suspension keeps this car well planted on the road. It earns every go-kart accolade it gets. The car weighs in at just 2,300 pounds; no wonder it handles so well.

But try zipping around a corner at 2,000 rpm and you’d swear there was sludge in your engine.

During a quick romp around town in the automatic, I thought it worked good enough. It was smooth shifting and didn’t seem to want to race to sixth too fast, and thus sap all of its torquey goodness. Still, the manual is so much better.

Fiat ups the ante

When Fiat decided to bring this much-acclaimed little car to America, the automaker knew it would have to up the ante as far with the interior. There are loads of ways to build an interior to the customer’s liking and Fiat has overlooked few features.

The basic layout includes a single instrument gauge behind the steering wheel, providing the car’s speed, revs and odometer. It’s easy to use and seems to make sense.

The front seats are very comfortable and the backseat is great for computer bags and cameras. People might fit back there as well, but they should be small people. If you fold the second row down, this hatchback offers 30 cubic feet of storage space, so it could easily carry things like golf clubs, groceries and big boxes.

The 500 also has all of the modern amenities a driver could want, such as a USB connection and Bluetooth capabilities for hands-free phone operation. The USB connection is in the glove box, which is good and bad. This car is not very wide, so it’s easy enough to reach over there and grab your iPhone on your way out.

There’s also an optional Garmin navigation system. It looks a little silly sticking out of the dash like a snow cone, but even that quirkiness seems endearing in this car. Most of all, the cabin feels well-made throughout. There are some hard plastic parts, such as the door panels but even those have a nice grain.

Most of all, the 500 provides a good driving position. Even during the test-driving, two big burly Americans were able to sit in the car comfortably. Four of us, might have been another matter, but for a car that seems ideal for daily commutes and general runabouts, seating two seems to be essential.

Disappointing gas mileage

There is one disappointment: the gas mileage. When you see this car, you immediately think it should get 80 mpg. Probably because it’s small and foreign. But it doesn’t. The manual transmission model manages 30 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway.

The automatic transmission model provides 27 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. Some of the drop in mileage might be attributed to additional weight added to the car to ensure safety; there’s lots of high strength steel in its frame — and to ensure it was quiet. Even when driving at 5,000 rpm, whipping around corners and flogging this car as best I could, the cabin was always comfortably quiet.

But it gets a little noisier when you ride around with the windows down, which you want to do in the Fiat 500. That way you can hear all of the cat calls and compliments being thrown your way as you drive.

Fiat offers the 500 in three trim levels: the base model Pop (which may be called Soda on the East and West coasts), Sport and the top-of-the-line Lounge.

Each is a character in itself, with the Lounge offering all the bells and whistles (and a standard automatic). A convertible arrives later this year and next year a more powerful Abarth model will hit America’s shores.

All are welcome and eventually, we’ll appreciate these vehicles for their versatility. In the mean time, customers will like the customization level of the 500 — there’s nearly half a million ways to configure them.

Artwork can come in many forms and as long as it’s also a good car, I’m completely in favor of it.

sburgess@detnews.com (313) 223-3217

Report Card

Overall: ***

Exterior: Excellent. Quirky, cute and lovable. Nice clean lines throughout.

Interior : Good. Front area is comfortable, rear is not. Nice soft touches throughout, though the navigation system looks cheap.

Performance: Good. Both transmissions are good and the car has a lot of zip. Steering and handling are good.

Pros: Small size means it can fit in little places, but still fun to drive.

Cons: Small size can leave some drivers intimidated on the road.

**** Excellent *** Good ** Fair * Poor